incline
Americanverb (used without object)
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inclines,
present (3rd person singular)
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inclined,
past participle, past
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inclining
present participle
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to deviate from the vertical or horizontal; slant.
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to have a mental tendency, preference, etc.; be disposed.
We incline to rest and relaxation these days.
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to tend, in a physical sense; approximate.
The flowers incline toward blue.
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to tend in character or in course of action.
a political philosophy that inclines toward the conservative.
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to lean; bend.
verb (used with object)
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inclines,
present (3rd person singular)
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inclined,
past participle, past
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inclining
present participle
-
to dispose (a person) in mind, habit, etc. (usually followed byto ).
His attitude did not incline me to help him.
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to bow, nod, or bend (the head, body, etc.).
He inclined his head in greeting.
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to cause to lean or bend in a particular direction.
noun
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inclines
plural
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an inclined surface; slope; slant.
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Railroads.
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Also called incline plane. Also called inclined plane. a cable railroad, the gradient of which is approximately 45°.
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any railroad or portion of a railroad, the gradient of which is too steep for ordinary locomotive adhesion alone to be effective.
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Mining.
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an angled shaft following a dipping vein.
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an inclined haulageway.
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idioms
verb
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to deviate or cause to deviate from a particular plane, esp a vertical or horizontal plane; slope or slant
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to be disposed or cause to be disposed (towards some attitude or to do something)
he inclines towards levity
that does not incline me to think that you are right
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to bend or lower (part of the body, esp the head), as in a bow or in order to listen
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to listen favourably (to)
noun
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an inclined surface or slope; gradient
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short for inclined railway
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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inclinesimple
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inclinessimple
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have inclinedperfect
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has inclinedperfect
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am incliningprogressive
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are incliningprogressive
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is incliningprogressive
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have been incliningperfect progressive
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has been incliningperfect progressive
Past
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inclinedsimple
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had inclinedperfect
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was incliningprogressive
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were incliningprogressive
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had been incliningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of incline
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English inclinen, from Latin inclīnāre, equivalent to in- in- 2 + -clīnāre “to bend” ( see lean 1); replacing Middle English enclinen, from Middle French, from Latin, as above
Explanation
Something that slopes — that is, something that deviates from the straight horizontal or vertical — can be called an incline. If you like to walk up and down hills, you enjoy walking on inclines. The Latin root of the word incline is inclinare, meaning "to lean." As a verb, the word incline can mean to bend, so you incline your head. It can also mean to be favorably disposed toward something and you can think of it as having a bent for or leaning toward something. If the weather is nasty, you may be inclined to stay home to watch a movie with a bowl of popcorn at your side.
Vocabulary lists containing incline
"The Landlady" by Roald Dahl
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The One and Only Ivan
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Chains
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Even this throughway soon couldn’t handle the traffic between Southern and Central California, and the incline was so dangerous that mule teams had to be summoned to rescue underpowered cars that couldn’t make the grade.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
The visitor descends a long gentle incline, passing a wall of polished black granite that records the names of the 58,000 American soldiers who died in that war.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
"I spoke about Paris being a reference point where hopefully we'll see a pretty steep incline in terms of performances," said Doris.
From Barron's ● Feb. 22, 2026
We trekked up a steep incline to quickly discover signs for white oil bubbling out of the ground.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2026
The giant log where Clare had recently planted the feather whites had been kicked down the gentle incline, killing every precious blue-blue in its wake.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Walking around may require navigating steep inclines or stairwell-like sidewalks, but over the past century the city has developed a unique transit system.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
How did trucks and tourists and Californians manage the uphills and downhills among inclines and ridges that could be windy or icy or foggy, sometimes all at once?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
There are a couple of entr’actes in which the clown, teased by his former supervisor, inclines toward the Grinchy.
From New York Times ● Nov. 27, 2024
He is rarity - as a mountainous country Eritrea mostly produces "climbers", cyclists who race especially well on steep inclines.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2024
But then he moves forward again, steps to the side to avoid touching me, inclines his head, is gone.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
"When my kids want something, I'm much more inclined to say yes. My quality of life has increased dramatically."
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
If the downward trend in housing remains intact, the Fed might be inclined to do nothing.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
Point Loma is stunning territory for anyone inclined to swim, surf, sail, stroll, eat or drink at water’s edge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
This is a highly tax-efficient move for charitably inclined savers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
When she had straightened the bed to his liking the big Greek inclined his head so deliberately that the gesture seemed one of benediction rather than a simple nod of thanks.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
The young woman in the sepia-toned photograph curtsies gracefully, inclining her head and smiling sweetly at the camera.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2022
The sickening realization of the Titanic's imminent fate came when Jessop turned to say something to a fellow stewardess and saw that the "forward part" of the ship was inclining toward the dark ocean.
From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2022
She would like to see changes, inclining a Senedd creche, the introduction of job shares and an increase in the number of MSs to decrease workload.
From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2021
Since then, the pair's paths have diverged, with Appleblim's housier releases inclining more towards the dancefloor, and Shackleton's series of Drawbar Organ EPs offering playful experimentalism.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 13, 2013
They were unquestionably different from woods further south—darker, more shadowy, inclining more to black than green.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
